


Better Late Than Never

by MeGrimlockKing



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Avatar: The Legend of Korra, implied past relationship, like super implied
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:48:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24763381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeGrimlockKing/pseuds/MeGrimlockKing
Summary: Zuko asks Toph if she still wants a life changing field trip after many years.
Relationships: Toph Beifong/Zuko
Comments: 16
Kudos: 254





	Better Late Than Never

**Author's Note:**

> Just a quick one shot of Zuko and Toph meeting up after years apart.

“So, it’s been a long time hasn’t it miss Bei Fong?” the former Fire Lord said calmly as he tilted the teapot over his guest’s cup, he would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy the bristling of the posture of the woman before him.

“Watch yourself, I’m not too old put you into the dirt,” she growled, but the small smirk told him that she didn’t take too much offense, and he chuckled.

“Hehe, that is true, I’ve missed you Toph,” he said through his small laugh as he poured her tea.

“You better not tell anyone but...I’ve missed you too,” she said the last part much more quietly than her normal bombastic tone.

“I’m glad to hear it, so how have you been?” he asked before placing the cup steaming cup in front of her. She reached out gingerly, before wrapping her fingers around it and lifting it to her nose and giving it a sniff.

“Jasmine?” she asked, although it wasn’t really a question.

“Of course, our favorite,” he said with a grin Toph could almost hear.

“You’re starting to sound like your Uncle,” she offered.

“The highest compliment you could give me,” he said with a chuckle as he took up his own tea cup. “But, you didn’t answer my question,” he finished in a playful tone.

“What’s there to say? I’ve been living in the swamp, doin’ what I want and livin’ my life,” she said with a grin.

“Hmmm, what of the girls? How are Lin and Suyin?” he asked in a cautious and soft tone as he took a drink.

“They’re fine, no issues, despite everything,” she answered a little bitterly.

“Really? Well, it’s good to hear you’ve reconciled in some manner,” Zuko answered in an even and pleasant tone.

“Why do you ask?” she said back, a bit of an edge to her voice.

“Toph,” he said simply, as though he were stating the obvious.

“Zuko,” she said back in a dangerous tone and he sighed as he placed his cup of tea down.

“Why can’t we be adults about this?” he asked, his tone reverting back to more of the one she knew when she was young and it brought her a little joy despite how things seemed to be going.

“Why does it matter?” she asked trying to be flippant and not quite pulling it off.

“She is my daughter Toph,” he said sternly and that gave her some pause. She hadn’t been expecting him to bring that up, not like this at any rate.

“Zuko...why are you bringing this up now? I thought we had an understanding,” Toph asked placing her tea down and almost aggressively placing her hands on the table, and Zuko was silent for a bit.

“I’m sorry...I wasn’t trying to upset you it’s just…” he trailed off and Toph felt a tiny twinge of remorse. She was silent for a while before she let out a long sigh and spoke.

“Suyin is doing very well. She’s had her troubles with her sister and her son but things have worked out, she’s in a pretty good place honestly...you don’t need to worry, she’s quite happy these days.” she offered and she could feel him relax.

“Well, I’m glad to hear that, would you like to hear about…” he started, but she cut him off.

“Izumi is a world leader. She’s strong, fair, and stalwart. She’s done very well...and so have you,” she added quietly and looking away even though she couldn’t see him.

“You’ve kept yourself well informed,” he said with a smile.

“Well, she is my daughter,” Toph said back, mocking his own words and he laughed.

“I don’t think we handle it all that well, now that I look back on it,” Zuko said sadly.

“We did better than our parents...well in some ways at least,” she offered fairly.

“That’s not saying much...I was too concerned about unimportant things. I should have listened to my uncle.”

“Don’t beat yourself up, Izumi turned out good and she never wanted for her father’s love,” Toph replied in a much softer tone than her one.

“She never got to really know her mother,” he said sadly.

“And Suyin didn’t get to know her father, we screwed up, and there’s nothing we can do about it now, why dwell on it?”

“I’m not dwelling on it, merely wondering why?”

“Why what, exactly?” Toph asked suspiciously.

“Why we didn’t try harder. It would have been a scandal, but our family would have been whole,” Zuko answered sadly. Letting out a sigh Toph responded almost exasperated.

“We went over this. You were Firelord, I was still establishing myself in Republic City. Our paths were just too different, not to mention is you had married an Earthbender you risked a lot. It was one thing when we were just “together” bringing me into the royal family would have caused an uproar. Plus I never had a taste for all that fancy palace living,” Toph finished as she took another sip of tea.

“I think it would have been worth it, a wife, daughters...a full family. Looking back I believe I could have endured all the issues if I’d had you,” he said in a remorseful tone, and that caused Toph’s face to flush for the first time in decades.

“Knock it off you old fool, what’s done is done, no point crying over it now,” she said a little harsher than she intended.

“No...no I suppose not,” he answered in an unsure tone.

“So why bring it up?” she asked and he was quiet for a long time. Toph could felt his heartbeat, it wasn’t frantic but she could tell he was nervous about something. “Zuko, what’s up? Why did you want to meet with me?” she asked and she could almost hear him smirk.

“I still owe you that life-changing field trip don’t I?” he asked in an almost cocksure tone.

“What are you talking about you senile old fool?” she asked in an almost incredulous tone, although she knew exactly what he was talking about. He just chuckled.

“So you don’t want to go? Well, I can’t say I’m not disappointed, but it is your choice after all,” he said in a falsely hurt tone, but Toph knew he was smirking.

“I didn’t say that...what did you have in mind, if I said I’d go,” she said trying to sound nonchalant.

“We’d travel the world, just like in our youth, but this time without all the war and devastation hanging over our heads, hehe,” he finished with a small chuckle.

“Been there, done that, how would that be a life-changing field trip?” she asked and could his heartbeat quicken a bit. She could feel him hesitate before he reached over and gently took her hand in his. His skin felt so much softer now but still just as warm as she remembered. H e cleared his throat and spoke.

“Well...it would be...if you’d be my wife,” he said in a soft and gentle voice and Toph’s throat seemed to tighten.

“Zuko...we’ve been over this,” she said, her voice shaking.

“Things have changed Toph. I’m not Firelord anymore, our children are grown, you’ve retired, were free of any responsibilities we can have what we didn’t try for before,” he answered in a kind and hopeful voice as he stroked her hand gently.

“Zuko…” she said her voice cracking for the first time in over fifty years. She felt him stand up walk around the table to where she sat and take a seat next to her before pulling her into a hug.

“I’d still like to travel with you even if you say no,” he whispered gently as he rubbed her back and she felt tears form in her eyes.

“Ugh, fine, if it’s so important to you I’ll marry you, you old fool,” she shot back, trying and failing to sound gruff as she wiped happy tears from her eyes.

She was smiling and he chuckled.


End file.
